Loading and unloading apparatus.



No. 861,264. PATENTBD JULY 30, 1907.

F. B. CLARK.

LOADING AND UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLIoATIoN FILED Auen-15. 1906.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

farney PATENTED JULY 30, 1907.

I. B. CLARK. LOADING AND UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1906.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I'. i I l I I I l I I I I I I I "PATENTED JULY 3o, 1907.

F. B. CLARK. LOADING ANUUNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AFG. 15, 1906.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

[NVE/WOR Mm C? 6% 4L/fm1@ No. 861,264. K v PATENTED JULY 30, 1907. F. B. CLARK. LOADING AND UNLOADING APPARATUS.v

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1906 5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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Allorney PATENTED JULY 30, 1907.l

. F. B. CLARK.

LOADING AND UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLIOAT'ION FILED AUG. 15, 1906.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

v [NVE/WOR 31 c?. @My lorney -rmrrnp sTArns AEENT essieu.

FRANKLIN B. CLARK, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN LOADING AND UNLOADING MACHINE COMPANY, (INC.)

LOADING AND UNLOADING APPARATUS.

To all whom 'it may concern:

. Be it known that I, FRANKLIN B. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loading and Unloading Apparatus;

and I do declare the following `to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in loading and unloading apparatus and the object in view is to generally improve upon and render more ecient the construction of apparatus of a like nature for which I have been granted Letters Patent in the United States, Number 805,711 and the object of the present invention is to produce a means whereby the slack in the endless carrier may be conveniently regulated and also the provision of means for adapting the loading and unloading device for use in connection with a ware house and so arranged that it may be shifted from door to door for convenience in loading or unloading from a boat to different parts of the house.

My invention comprises various details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically dened in the appended claims.

I illustrate my invention in the accompanyingY drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the application of my invention, parts being illustrated in elevation. Fig. f2 is atop plan view ofa portion of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through one end of the apparatus, parts being shown in elevation. Fig. 4 is an end view of the carrier. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view in elevation of the take-up mechanism. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the support-upon which the pivotal truss supporting the carrier is mounted. Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the construction shown in Fig-6. Fig. 8 is a top plan View of a part of the apparatus showing. the motor and the wheels connected therewith. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a detailed view of the bearing and the shaft upon which the tilting truss is mounted. Fig. l1 is a detailed view in section of the construction shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a sectional view through the bearing blocks in which the pivot of the truss frame is mounted, and Fig. 13 is an enlarged detailed view showving the side truss rollers and the track upon which the apparatus is mounted. I

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by numerals, 1 Idesignates a standard made preferably `of lstructural iron and having flanged rollersor wheels 2 joumaled in the base thereof and adapted to Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed August 15, 1906.. Serial No. 330,748.

Patented July 30, 1907.

travel upon a track 3 supported by the beam 4, which in the present instance is shown as mounted upon a dock, as the particular apparatus illustrated is designed especially for use in connection with aware house, whereby boats may be unloaded-at various doors in the house. Mounted upon the dock are the beams 5 which have tracks 6 projecting from the adjacent faces thereof and which are adapted to bearragainst the vertically journaled rollers 7 mounted upon the side of the base of said standardA as clearly shown in Fig. 13 of the drawings. Said standard, shown in elevationin Fig. 6 of thedrawings, carries the boxings 8, in which a shaft 9 is journaled and upon which shaft, the truss frame l0 is adapted to be pivotally mounted. Mounted at the extreme upper end of said standard are the sheaves 1l over which the hoisting cables 13 are adapted to pass, said cables being fastened to the plates 14 which are fastened to the opposite faces of the truss frame. The lower ends of said cable pass about the drums 15 which are journaled in suitable bearings upon said standards and a motor 16 is provided for actuating said drums, whereby the cable may be wound or unwound accordingly as it may be desired to tilt the projecting portion of the wtruss frame, which carries the hoisting apparatus up or down. The upper portion of said standard isprovidcd with a-housing 17 ,'which may be of any desired shape, adapting' the apparatus for various purposes, but in the present instance it is shown as projecting laterally from the standard and is provided with the anti-friction rollers 18 engaging-the track rails and projecting' 22, which supports a track 23fupon which the rollers or wheels 24 are adapted to rest. The detailed construction of the tracks upon the roof and also of the rollers, which are adapted to contact with said tracks, are

similar-to the construction above described and as illustrated in detail in Fig. 13 of the drawings. A portion of said housing, which is shown in top pl'an view in Fig. 7 of the drawings, is cut away as at 25 in order to allow the truss frame to tilt freely without interference therefrom. Mounted adjacent to the ends of said truss frame are sprocket wheels 26 and 27 mounted upon the shafts 28 and 29 respectively and 30 designates two rotatable shafts mounted in suitable bearings upon said truss frame and rhaving each av gear wheel 31 fixed thereto, which are in mesh with an intermediate gear wheel 32 shown clearly in Fig. 9 of the drawings, whereby a rotary motion may be imparted from one gear wheel to the other and cause the.. same to rotate in the same direction. AA motor 33 is mounted upon said truss frame and has a gear wheel 34 keyed to its-'shaft and is in mesh with one of said gear wheels, as shown clearly in Fig. 9 of the drawings, whereby the two shafts 30 v 36 upon .the shafts 28, whereby rotary movement may be ,impartedI to the latter and in turn to the sprocket i wheels 26 upon said shafts 28. Sprocket chains 37 are mounted to travel about the sprocket wheels 38 upon the shafts 2.8 andthe sprocket wheel 27 upon the shafts 29, whereby power may be transmitted from the shafts 28 to the sprocket wheels 27 upon the shafts 29.

f4()` designates an endess carrier chain made up of linksI 4l, each of which is preferably ofthe shape shown j in Fig. 4 of the drawings, and provided with antifric tion rollers 42 upon the arms thereof, which travel upon y L (the tracks 43 whichare supported by the truss frame. 44j designatesl guide rods which are supported in suiti ablef'b'races forming a part of said truss frame and 45 l v-.rdesignates movable blocks mounted upon said guide l rodsand carrying stub shafts 46 upon which sprocket .'wheels47, shown clearly in Fig. 5 of the drawings, are vjournaled. 48 designate two threadedshafts which are "jouxnaled in suitable bearings andthe threaded portions-of said shafts are journaled in suitable apertures in the blocks 45. Fixed to said shafts 48 are the intertinelshingr pinion iwheels 49. and 50 designates a sprocket V2 f wh'ee'lwhich is fixed to a projecting end of one of said 'shafts 48 .andabout which an endless operating chain 151'l yis adapted to travel, whereby the operator may Ycause the shaft 48 to rotatein one direction or the other,

' whereby theblocks-45 upon which the sprocket wheels 47 are mounted may be moved in one direction or the other to regulate the length "of the carrier accordingly as may be desired to take up slack or let out the carrier v .to adapt the same for operation at different elevations. Reierring to Figs. l and 5 of the drawings, will be scena sprocket wheel 4l", there being two of said wheels fixed to rotate with the shaft 42x Aand about which wheels the sprocket chain is adapted to travel in passing about the adjustable take-up sprocket wheels 47. lf!

From'the-oregoing, it will be noted that, by the provision of the apparatus shown and described, the truss frame may be tilted when desired by the manipulation of the motor, which isconnected bycable to the forwardly projecting pgrt of the frame, and by the manipulation of the'-takefupmechanism'the endless chain may be adaptedefor raising and lowering articles at different'elevatins, it simply being necessary for the operator to adjust the blocks 45 by the manipulation oi the endless chainvwhich regulates the control of the same. When it -is'desired to .shift the apparatus from y one door toanother, it may be easily ,donevbythe provisionv of the apparatus, lconsisting of the tracks upon .which the standard ismountedr While I have. shownvmyiapparatus and described the l,55 same as being espeeiallyfadapted'ior use asa dock ma- 4 .'chine, it will'A be'u'nderstood that the mechanism' may be applied to varrousluses without, anyway, departing from thespirit of the invention,'i`t merely be'- lingV necessary to 'change details'of construction to adapt it for varionspurposesior Iraising, conveying and lowering -f f What I claim isz- 1. A loading and unloading apparatus comprising a standard, a truss frame mounted thereon, sprocket wheels mounted upon the latter, an endless conveyer chain mounted upon said sprocket wheels, guide rods upon said frame,

bearing' blocks movably mounted upon said guide rods, and

means for moving said boxes upon the guideprods, as set 2. A loading and unloading apparatus comprising a standard, a truss frame mounted thereon, sprocket wheels mounted upon said sprocket wheels, guide rods upon said frame, bearing blocks movably mounted upon said guide rods, stationary threaded shafts mounted in suitable bearings and passing through threaded apertures in said bearing blocks, gear connections betwcent said threaded shafts, a Asprocket wheel xed to one of said threaded shafts and an endless chain passing over said frame upon the threaded shaft, as set forth. I

4. A loading and unloading apparatus comprising a standard, a truss frame mounted thereon, angled tracks mounted upon said frame, sprocket wheels upon the latter, an endless link chain cari-ier, lugs projecting from the arms of said links, anti-friction Wheels .mounted upon said lugs and adapted to travel upon said tracks, shafts journaled in suitable bearings upon the frame, worm wheels vfixed to said shafts, a motor and gear connections between the same and said shafts and take-up means for regulating the length of the conveyer chain, as set forth.

5. A loading and unloading apparatus comprising a standard, a truss frame mounted thereon, angled tracksmounted upon said frame, sprocket wheels upon the latter, an endless link chain carrier, lugs projecting from the arms of said links, anti-friction wheels4 mounted upon said lugs and adapted toy travel upon said tracks,`shafts jonrnaled in snitable'bearings in said frame', worm wheels fixed v 6. A loading and unloading apparatus comprising a standard, tracks upon which said standard is adapted to travel, a tilting truss frame mounted upon said standard,

means for tilting said frame, `a track upon whiclithe standard is mounted, side tracks between which said standard is adapted to be guided, the upper portion of said standard having a .lateral projection, wheels carried by said extension and tracks for guiding the latter, as set forth.

7. A Aloading and unloading apparatus comprising a standard and having a lateral projection at the upper 'end thereof, 'a track upon which the standard is mounted, antifi'iction Wheels mounted upon said projection, a track upon which one of the anti-friction rollers of said extension is adapted to rest and tracks upon eitheryside of the depending portion of said extension and against which wheels carried by said depending portion are adapted to bear, as

set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANKLIN n. CLARK.

Witnesses:

W. A. COLLINS, WM. M. JOHNSTON.. 

